Zendaya spoke about her career break and self-doubt in an interview with Vogue
Zendaya became the heroine of the new issue of the Australian version of Vogue magazine. The star of “Dune” and “The Contenders” gave an interview to a fashion publication and talked about the forced break in her career, self-esteem and ambitions.
On the cover of the gloss, the actress starred in a pink Louis Vuitton dress, and during the shoot she posed in looks from Burberry, Stella McCartney, Schiaparelli, Dries Van Noten and Bulgari jewelry.
Luca Guadagnino's new drama "The Contenders" starring 27-year-old Zendaya has already been released and has been warmly received by viewers. The actress said that the project was finished filming in mid-2022, and after that she immediately went to Abu Dhabi to work on the second part of Dune. After filming wrapped in December of that year, she never appeared on set again. This break was accidental: it was aggravated by the actors' strike and the postponement of production of the third season of Euphoria. "I didn't work. It was very hard for me because I was so used to it. That's all I know how to do and that's all I've ever done."
Zendaya has been in the film industry since she was 13 years old, but she gained greatest fame after her roles as the girl in Spider-Man and a troubled teenager in Euphoria, where she began acting at the age of 22. Fans of the HBO series have been waiting for several years for a new season, which has not even begun production yet. Previously, there were rumors that the studio could not reach an agreement with Zendaya because of her inflated fee, but the actress did not comment on these speculations. "I firmly believe that the right things happen at the right time. Things should be as they are meant to be. I cannot speed things up or slow them down."
The actress recalls feeling a real change, personally and professionally, at the age of 20, when she traveled alone to New York from her native California to film The Greatest Showman. “For the first time I found myself in another city, alone, an adult and all that. Then three “Spider-Man”, “Euphoria”, “Dune”, “The Contenders” appeared, and it was like I blinked, and then I became 27,” the actress shares. As for her ambitions and plans, she doesn’t have an answer yet. "I don't know. What I want most is to manage my career, find joy and peace in it and make sure I don't lose it."
Now Zendaya is trying to think more about herself and not about work, although the frequency of her appearances in the public space makes it hard to believe. The actress is in a long-term relationship with her colleague Tom Holland and says that the forced pause in filming made her think about her feelings. "Sometimes when you're working so much, it almost becomes a distraction. It's like you don't have to think about your life because you're thinking, 'I'm just working, working, working.' And when those moments come when you just have to live... . Then you think, "Oh, I really need to deal with all these feelings that I have." . 
The actress noted that working with such great directors as Denis Villeneuve or Luca Guadagnino is both fuel and fear for her. She wants to try herself as a director if she can control her self-esteem. “The only thing that gets in my way is my own self-criticism and self-doubt, as well as the fear that I won’t be anywhere near as great as the people I watch,” admits the actress. "If I ever get over that feeling where I tell myself you don't know what you're doing... If I ever get over that inner voice, then maybe I can actually become a director."
